Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 6:00 PM

Embark on a Journey of Renewal: Salmon Ceremony Oral Histories Revealed in Interactive Exhibit

The Humboldt Area Peoples Archive announces the grand opening of its exhibit Salmon Ceremony Oral Histories, featuring Ai IWANE (ACC 2022). This exhibit invites visitors to delve into the intricate interplay between activism, environmental stewardship, and cultural collaboration. The evening will commence with a special speech (need more reveal of who is speaking) promising an unforgettable experience for all attendees. This exhibit explores the revitalization of the Salmon Ceremony by the Bear River Band at the mouth of the Mattole River in Petrolia. The Bear River Band consists of seven federally recognized tribes: Wiyot, Nongatl, Whilkut, Sinkiyone, Lassic, Bear River, and Mattole.  

The exhibit includes the voices of Ruth Wortman and Barry Brenard, cultural coordinators for the Bear River Band, speaking about the meaning of the Salmon Ceremony which existed for generations before falling away in 1958 during the termination era. In recent decades, the Bear River Band has taken steps to revitalize its culture.

Since 1980, the Mattole Salmon Group, a local environmental nonprofit, has been working in the river to restore salmon habitat and populations which were negatively impacted from exploitative land management. They realized early on that in order to bring the salmon back from the brink of extinction for all peoples, there was a need to combine the spiritual connection of the indigenous people with Salmon together with science-based habitat and population enhancement activities they conducted. 

In 2021, a collaborative effort developed between the Bear River Band and the Mattole Salmon Group, leading to the revitalization of the Salmon Ceremony. Every year in the fall, wild Mattole chinook and coho salmon migrate into the river to spawn when the river breaches the sand bar, generally in November.  In April, steelhead salmon come in to spawn.  At both times, juvenile salmon make their way into the ocean to mature for several years.  Both events are celebrated in the Bear River Band Salmon Ceremony.

The Humboldt Area Peoples Archive developed the interactive exhibit in collaboration with the Bear River Band, Stacy Schaefer PhD, Ai Iwane, the Mattole Salmon Group and the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau. The Humboldt Area Peoples Archive developed the interactive exhibit in collaboration with the Bear River Band, Stacy Schaefer PhD, Ai Iwane, the Mattole Salmon Group and the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau.

The Humboldt Area Peoples Archive (HAPA) collects, preserves and makes accessible the histories of counterculture and back-to-the-land in Humboldt County from the 1960s to now. 

To learn more, click HERE.